Past
by Gui Zhou
Summary: Live through this and you won't look back. Phoenix/Iris. Miles/Phoenix.


_Standard disclaimers and all that, yes?_

_Warnings: Major spoilers for Trials and Tribulations. There's also a little slash._

* * *

He smiles.

She lets her eyes meet his and all she sees is warmth. Relief courses through her as she returns his smile with one of her own. Her smile is no less radiant.

She recalls how he and his friends visited her the other day. It had been a lovely visit and she enjoyed it immensely. But now, it's clear that he has come to visit her alone. A small flicker of hope dances about in her heart and she immediately scolds herself.

'I have no right to be with him… Not after all the pain I put him through,' she thinks sadly. She vaguely notes that there is hardly a day that goes by without her regretting the things she did to him six years ago. Her smile almost falters. But then he begins to speak. So she allows the sad thoughts to leave her, if only for a moment, while he is here, smiling at her.

Phoenix Wright takes a seat, still smiling from the other side of the wall of glass that separates them.

"Hi, Iris. How are you feeling?" he inquires politely.

"Hello, Feenie. I am well. Thank you so much for visiting. I'm very glad to see you," Iris says as a light blush graces her cheeks. She revels silently in his endearing grin before she continues.

"You've turned into such a respectable man, Feenie. It was so sweet of you and everyone else to come and visit me here the other day," she says, smiling widely. A noticeable blush forms on her cheeks as she says demurely, "Of course I was happy that you constantly had your eyes on me, but…" A look of guilt etches itself onto her features as she finishes, "I felt kind of bad when the little one slapped you so hard you got a nosebleed."

Phoenix laughs nervously before he says jokingly, "Don't worry so much about Pearls… Her slaps hurt but I get by somehow!"

Before continuing, he hears a soft laugh from the woman.

"And no need to thank me, Iris! I'm happy to come visit you. Honestly, it makes me feel a little bit better, too. I still feel really guilty about not getting you a full acquittal," he says sadly. Iris brings a hand to the side of her face in mild surprise and says, "Please don't apologize! You've already done so much for me… And besides, if anyone should be apologizing, it should be me."

"Iris…" he murmurs softly, looking slightly shocked. He regards the woman on the other side of the glass for a few moments. The defense attorney swallows and finally decides.

"The things you did to me all those years ago… They hurt me very much, Iris," he says with a sad look in his eyes. These words shock Iris. She already knows them to be the truth but hearing it come from Phoenix himself makes her very sad.

"But I also want to thank you. I can't express how grateful I am for what you've done for me," he says and Iris almost gasps. "W-what do you mean, Feenie? I've never done anything that deserves thanks from you… It's my fault that my sister hurt you so much. It's my fault that you've been suffering all these years! I let it all happen… H-how can you _thank_ me?" she questions as confusion envelops her mind.

Phoenix looks into her eyes and the pool of emotions he sees swirling around in them breaks his heart.

"Thanks to you, Iris, I can finally look back at the love we shared and _smile_."

The woman tilts her head lightly to the side, looking even more perplexed. Phoenix continues.

"I spent years knowing fully that Dahlia Hawthorne was ready to kill me. All the facts and evidence pointed to her and I was crushed."

Iris lets her gaze drop. She feels ashamed because she knows that it was her fault. She was too weak to tell Phoenix the truth six years ago. And now, as she listens to Phoenix tell her about how he suffered, she just wants the whole world to swallow her.

He notices her pain but goes on with his story.

"My mind screamed that 'Dollie' never loved me. It was the only logical thing to believe. But there was always something else tugging at my thoughts. I refused to accept that the 'Dollie' I loved wanted to murder me. I believed that the 'Dollie' on that horrible day was not the woman I loved."

Iris feels her eyes sting and she knows that the tears are coming.

"I believed in the real 'Dollie' that I loved – the real 'Dollie' that loved me… I believed in _you_, Iris," he says softly and on his face is the most brilliant smile.

Iris puts a delicate hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. She knows that she's heard him say those words before. When she first heard them, it felt like the weight of the world was off her shoulders. Hearing it a second time does not diminish those emotions in the slightest.

But what she hears next makes her heart soar.

"I forgive you."

By now, Iris is crying. She can't help it. His words touch her heart in the most beautiful way.

"Feenie, thank you. Thank you, thank you, _thank_ _you_."

Her tears flow freely and she wishes that the glass between them did not exist.

But Phoenix does the next best thing and puts a hand on his side of the glass. Predictably enough, the simple action brings forth more tears from the woman. But she is able to take her own small hand and place it on the same spot as his from her side of the glass.

She is crying. But she is smiling, too. And Phoenix thinks that she's never been more beautiful.

What she says next does not surprise him.

"Feenie… Will you give me – _us_ – a second chance?" She knows that he will say no. But she figures that there is no harm in trying. The defense attorney visibly hesitates and lets his hand fall to his side.

He searches for the right words – the words that will not hurt her as much.

He settles for the truth.

"Iris… I'm in love with someone else."

Iris just smiles. "Is it Maya Fey?"

Phoenix shakes his head and laughs a little at the thought of him and Maya. He is also somewhat confused by the smile on her face so he tries to shake the feeling off.

"Oh? I was sure that it was her. You feel so strongly for her, Feenie."

"Yeah… She's very important to me. But she's more like a sister than anything else."

"I see."

A short pause.

"Are you happy with her, Feenie? Are you happy with the one you love?"

Phoenix is caught unawares by the sudden question but manages a firm nod. "I've never been happier," he says warmly as an affectionate smile tugs at his lips.

This is enough for Iris. "I'm so happy for you, Feenie!"

A little while later, Phoenix Wright finds himself exiting the Detention Center.

And waiting for him right outside the building – there, parked on the street – is a bright red sports car. He sees the window of the car roll down and a man in a pink suit greets him with a tender look.

Phoenix Wright feels his heart swell with so many wonderful emotions. He is sure that one of them is love.

He smiles.

* * *

Author's Note: "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" by Stars inspired this short piece. It's a lovely song! Please go listen to it! Anyways… Thank you for reading my first ever Ace Attorney fanfic!

((I seriously need a beta. *SOB*))


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